Retro Bunny

He loves hopping back to the past.

What Abandoned Olympic Venues From Around The World Look Like Today

January 9, 2018

This article is from Do You Remember. Click the title to hop over there.

Most cities simply do not have the infrastructure required to withstand the two-week influx of athletes, coaches, fans, and media members. The money required to build state-of-the-art athletic facilities is skyrocketing, and academic research suggests spending billions on a two-week event is not a wise investment.

In the worst-case scenario for host cities, Olympic venues go unused after the games and become white elephants – total wastes of space and money. We’ve seen this at a number of different Olympic sites around the world. Of course, the reasons this happens are specific to each country: Sarajevo, for example, suffered from a gruesome war that caused the 1984 Winter Olympic venues to crumble. Nevertheless, these photos from Reuters, Getty Images, and others have become symbolic of the downside of hosting the Olympics.

Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

One decade later, civil war broke out and ravaged the country.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

Some of the Olympic venues were repurposed and used as military facilities.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

The bobsled facility was turned into an artillery stronghold during the war.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

Today the heavily gratified course is sometimes used for BMX races.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

A dog walks past the Kosovo Stadium, where the opening ceremonies were held.